


A Metallic Fate

by Gamer_Addict_104



Series: A Metallic Fate AU [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: A Metallic Fate AU, Alternate Universe, Cross-posted, Gen, Ink Machine, I’ll add more tags when the time comes, Modernish AU, My First Fanfic, Not entirely sure yet, Please Review, Souls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-09-24 05:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20352811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamer_Addict_104/pseuds/Gamer_Addict_104
Summary: After a young girl gets trapped inside of Joey Drew studios, an unlucky, or is it lucky, turn of events leads her to inhabit an unfamiliar body. Follow her as she transverses through the studio, making friends and enemies, discovering new powers, and all the while trying to find a way to set everyone free from their inky prison. (Cross-posted on Fanfiction.net and Tumblr.)





	1. A New Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’m brand new to Ao3 and would love anyone reading this to please leave a review. As said in the tags this is my first FanFiction I’ve ever written. I would love to get a review or two just to see where I’m at in the writing area, and what you guys think of the story so far.
> 
> Anyways, this is an AU I’ve recently come up with. I’m not entirely sure where I want to go with it yet, which is another reason why I would love suggestions. This story is cross-posted from Tumblr and FanFiction.Net under the same/similar username.
> 
> A Metallic Fate AU and any art in this story belongs to me, BatIM belongs to theMeatly.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's happened, and it's definitely not good.

It was cold when I came to. I winced away from the blinding light, raising up an arm to try and block it out. I uttered a small groan, my head pounding with each beat of my heart. I tried to turn onto my side to get into a more comfortable position. Whatever I was laying on was hard and rough. My body responded sluggishly, or at least tried to. I rocked to the side somewhat, then plopped back down onto my back.

I mumbled in annoyance, trying again with the same result. It was as though my legs didn’t want to respond... I took a moment to try and understand why I couldn’t adjust my position, and why everything but my head, torso, and right arm was numb and just felt wrong. I reached my arm up again, this time trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I wasn’t expecting to hear a metallic thump against my head. I withdrew my arm quickly in surprise, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the light. I could see the blurry outline of my arm, but something about it was wrong. As my vision finally started to clear up, my eyes widened in disbelief.

A metallic hand was what met my eyes, with only three fingers and two ovals drilled partway through it. I opened my mouth in shock, my eyes trailing from the hand down to the arm. It resembled something like a thin pipe, with rings of metal protruding from around it in equal intervals along with the occasional wire.

_’What... what the hell?’_ This wasn’t my arm. There was no way in hell this was my arm! To try and prove my thoughts, I tried to clench my hand into a fist. Unfortunately, the robotic hand decided to disobey my pleas, and respond to my command. The three fingers and thumb curled up into a fist. I was in pure shock, taking a few moments to just stare. I finally came to the conclusion that this was, in fact, my arm. I mean, I didn’t remember losing it, in assumption that this was a prosthetic, but I guess it was a decent replacement. I uncurled my fist and let it drop down beside me with a thump and a sigh.

My headache seemed to be lightening up, thankfully. Now my curiosity was starting to take hold. I decided to take a look at my left arm to see why it was partially numb. I tried to lift it up in front of me just like I did with my right. However, it felt as though something was clamping it in place. I tugged at it a few times, loosening it from its restraint until it finally came free... nothing came into view. Confusion and worry was starting to form in the pit of my stomach as I turn my head to see what was wrong. My breath caught in my throat.

The partial arm I saw lifted up was the same as my right. However, wires and sparks protrude from where it ended about where my elbow should have been. An inky dark liquid slowly dripped from the end. Oil? I swallowed my nausea, deciding that it would be better to not stare at it for too long. I was starting to get scared. Like really, really scared. I couldn’t feel my legs...

I couldn’t keep the truth away from myself forever, I had to look eventually. _‘W-who knows, it could just be the position I fell asleep in!’_ I thought hopefully. Carefully gathering my courage, I propped myself up on my usable arm. With great hopes that it wasn’t what I thought it was, I looked down at my legs.I wanted to throw up at the sight. What looked to be my spinal cord was severed in half. Half of the part that was supposed to be apart of me was dangling over the end of the table. _‘Why am I on a table?’_ My legs were the same robotic style as my arms, attached to a bowl-like waist. A similar dark liquid was pooled under the opening in my spine and dripped off the side of the table.

My torso was also constructed in a similar way, a few cylinder-like pieces locked together before leading into my spine. Slowly, carefully, I lowered myself back onto the table, reaching a hand up to rub my head in an attempt to ease my returning headache. The same sound as earlier greeted me, and I froze momentarily. I could, surprisingly, feel the metal on my head, or... that was my head. It was too big, very much not human, my thoughts proven when my hand ran across two points on either side. The right side seems to be thicker than the left, like some sort of mask.

_‘Oh no...’_ I came to a sudden realization. Memories slowly started to trickle back, some fuzzy and others clearer. My most recent experience flashed across my mind, and I knew exactly what I was. I shouted in disbelief before I could calm myself down.

“I’m that damned Bendy robot?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kind of a short chapter. I'll try and make the others longer. Otherwise, what do you think>


	2. Questions and Repairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After recalling what had happened, more questions start popping up than answers, but a surprising discovery is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that I will not be updating chapters this often. I already had this one almost finished by the time I posted the first.

_No, no, no no nonononono-'_ My mind raced at a hundred miles an hour, recollecting memories and connecting two and two together. My most recent experience came rushing back to me, and suddenly I was back as a human.

* * *

_I had just made it past the Ink Demon and through the vents, sighing in relief as I stepped out of the cramped space. The room was well lit, but I decided to keep the flashlight with me in case of any potential threats. It could use as a useful weapon if needed. To my left was a few steps leading around a fence and to a closed pair of doors, with a couch leaning against the wooden railing. To my right, a stone Bendy statue had collapsed and lay broken on the ground, revealing posters advertising the Briar Label Bacon Soup, and the Hellfire Fighter cartoon behind it. I was still confused as to why Bendy was holding a utensil in each hand for the first poster. A few barrels and chairs were scattered around the room._

_In front of me lay a few flights of stairs leading upwards and into a giant Bendy mouth. It wasn't the cutest thing around, and more than a little creepy. A Little Miracle station and a Bendy cardboard cutout lay against the wall next to the base of the steps. Unfortunately it seemed that was the only way up, as entertained by the inky writing on the lopsided wooden board reading, _"_**Come up and see me."**_ _I stepped over the large broken stones as I made my way to the stairs. Another writing greeted me on top of the first flight. _"_**Almost there."**_

_At the top was a decently sized room with a large round table in the center. A map of the Bendyland amusement park covered the entire surface, with small simple models sitting atop a few of the main buildings. Bulletin boards lined the walls, filled with drawings and concepts for what appeared to be an amusement park. On the table also sat a tape recording by Bertrum Piedmont. I hit play on the old device._

"_For forty years, I've built attractions that stagger the imagination! Colossal wonders such as the world has never seen! I have earned my legacy with sweat._

_But right in front of everyone… high level investors. Wall street tycoons, the ever-tactless Joey Drew introduces the great Bertrum Piedmont, as Bertie! Like I was his child._

_You may be paying me, Mister Drew! But you don't own me! I'll build you a park bigger that anything YOU could ever possibly conceive! But before you go taking any bows, Mister Drew, know that this grand achievement will belong to me… and to me alone."_

_I wasn't really all too interested in the recording after a couple seconds. Not much information to obtain. Seemed like his ego was just as big as Drew's. Instead, my attention was drawn towards the lever on the other side of the room labeled with a lightning bolt above it_. _Seemed like that was the way to power open the door downstairs, hopefully._

_I pulled the lever, and I could hear the thick metal doors opening up into the unexplored area. I circled back around the table and made my way down the stairs, briefly noticing that large pipes of ink and cages hanging from the ceiling. Before I could make it much further to the open door, inky veins suddenly lined the walls, and my heartbeat pounded in my ears. Everything pointed to only one thing. Bendy was right behind me!_

_I took off running, stumbling over the large blocks of stone. I was already halfway across, and there was no way I'd be able to make it to the station by the stairs. His inky aura trailed close behind me, getting closer as I struggled to get to the open door. I could just hear his deep breathy growls. I needed to find another Little Miracle Station, fast. I flew down a flight of stairs, spotting a large sign above the doorway but didn't take any chances at reading it. To my right a few lines of shelves and large bags blocked my access from the rest of the room, and what looked like theme park stalls sat against the wall to my left. An open door right before the stalls caught my attention, and I sprinted through them. A table sat before a few creepy Bendy costumes that hung on hidden hangers. That's all there was in the dead end. I quickly spun back around and bolted forward towards the other side of the room. The inky veins were closer, already past my feet. That detour had cost me some of my lead ahead of him._

_The large doors set behind another wooden railing were shut tight, but an open station positioned against the end of the shelf caught my attention. I nearly shouted in glee, until I spotted the door laying detached against its side. In desperation, I took the open set of doors to my left labeled 'Research and Design." _

_I was greeted with a balcony overlooking members of the Butcher Gang huddled around a flaming barrel. Two pathways split off either side of the group. Suspended from the ceiling was a giant cartoon arm. The upper floor ended on the other side next to another smaller Bendy statue._

_I took my chances with the stairs, sprinting towards the closest path. The left. The disfigured toons gave their best attempts at hitting me. I ignored them, death literally seconds behind me was a much greater worry. Bendy's inky aura quickly took care of them before they even had any chance to run away._

_I swung around the corner, barely registering the Lost One's quite cries before my hope vanished from existence. A dead end… and no Miracle Station. Just a lifeless, disassembled robot on the table, a broken Ink Maker, and some more stupid writing on the wall. The deep growls of the Demon were hot on my neck. I scrambled away, dropping my flashlight before my back soon connected with the Ink Maker. I tried to get as far as possible from the inky abomination, and so I dropped down under the table holding the animatronic, not caring about the puddle of ink soaking into my clothes, and curled up against the wall in a fetal position. I was trapped. This was it._

_Bendy's smile seemed to vibrate a little more, his shoulders shaking in a silent laugh. He had caught his prey. I wished I could pass through the walls like he could. Instead I only curled in more on myself with tears spilling down my cheeks. The liquid created small, clear streaks down my ink-covered and bruised face, soft hiccups emanating from my throat._

"_Please… please no…" It was pointless to try and reason with him. The Ink Demon took his time, seeming to enjoy my quiet plea at mercy. Closer and closer he came, until he knelt just inches away from me. He seemed to try and get a few more pleas out of me, but I remained silent as my sobbing got louder. He huffed in disappointment, instead reaching out his gloved hand of death. Struggling against it was useless, but I still tried to move away from the appendage. My attempt to doge failed. I shut my eyes tightly, and the last thing I remembered was his crushing grip around my throat, and the sickly __**snap **__that followed._

* * *

I shivered at the recollection, heart racing as I tried to calm myself down. '_Do I even have a heart..?' _I held my hand over what was now my chest, feeling for anything underneath the metal… There! A slow, faint, but constant beat. A heartbeat. I sighed in relief. I don't know why I was relieved, but I suppose it was a good feeling to know I still had some part of my humanity left. Everything else was gone, except for my memories. I just held my hand over my chest, the beat calming, and I took a moment just to zone out everything else… A minute passed, and then two. Once I had almost completely calmed down, I opened up my thoughts again, focusing on my current situation with a new curiosity.

I was alive… somehow. My body, or soul at least, took refuge in this animatronic. That's what I was currently assuming. I had no clue why, or how. From my previous conversations with other ink creatures, souls who have died down here are claimed by the ink, and are often trapped in a well of voices. Most have experienced it for themselves, and some of their minds have broken because of it. I had no recollection of any such thing. Either I didn't remember it, or I was never trapped there.

The dark liquid leaking from my severed ends was ink, not oil. Well, I was certainly made of ink now, at least on the inside. I tried to answer a few of my questions about the matter. I mean, why did my soul choose this body? '_Likely because it was the closest thing around, as well as the fact that it could be used as a vessel despite being disassembled. Less work._' How did it manage to inhabit the robot? '_Probably something to do with the ink.'_ How did ink even get inside this thing? That I was stumped on. There was no exposed pipes around the area, at least none that I recalled that were leaking. Though I definitely could've missed something from my blind panic earlier.

I decided to take a breather from all the questions floating around in my head. I glanced back down at my partially dismembered body, which reminded of the puddle of ink under my spine. Was.. was I bleeding out? Worry started forming in the pit of my stomach again. I was tired, and weak, but it could have just been from the body transfer in general, or the ink loss... Or both. The ink seemed to have formed some sort of clot over the open wounds, or otherwise I would likely have bled to death before I even had a chance of waking up. I was extremely thankful I hadn't.

'_Breath… just breath._' I told myself, taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Seems that I also had lungs, that was a good sign. I wondered what other organs I still had… I mentally shook myself off that topic. I could answer those later. For now, a plan sounded like a good idea. I liked being organized. '_Let's see…'_

"First step..?" Looks like I could still speak too, not that shouting out of sheer bewilderment earlier was any indication. I was very glad about it, I would have hated to be mute. My voice sounded… odd though. Still young and feminine, but there was something else I couldn't put my finger on… hold on, didn't the robot have a speaker for a mouth? It certainly looked like it earlier. But, my voice sounded just fine, like I had a regular voice box, and a normal moving mouth and jaw. I knew for a fact that my body didn't have any method of moving its mouth earlier. I reached out my hand to feel around the unmasked part of my face. My teeth felt just like those big blocky ones Bendy had, and they seamlessly split apart when I opened my mouth. Surprisingly the ends felt sharper than I would have expected. I could also feel a tongue hiding behind my teeth as well.

I felt around the side of my face next, finding a circular hinge where my jaw would have been. It rotated whenever my mouth opened and closed. My body must have generated these parts while I was out, there was no other explanation. I then felt around my masked side of my face. My teeth felt the same, but my jaw opened without creating any gaps. It was as though my mask stretched downwards to fit over my jaw, no matter what position it was in. Also, how could I pronounce words without lips? "Cartoon physics…" It was a reasonable answer to the oddities. I didn't really feel like putting much more thought process into trying to figure it out, it was already weird enough.

"Where were we again…? Right, planning." Speaking out loud helped me think. "First step…" I looked down at my legs again. "Reattach my legs. Secondly, get a good look at my surroundings once I can actually stand up…" '_If I can stand up._' I quickly moved passed my doubts. "Thirdly, find something to eat. Pretty sure I still have a stomach." On that note, I was starting to feel something along the lines of hunger. "Fourth step, find a weapon, and possibly a mirror." The last part was a hopeful thought. I really wanted to get a better look at myself. "Fifth step, see if I can talk to anyone around here. Being alone for a long period of time won't do any good for my mental state…" '_Like that Lost One over there.'_ I noticed the faint cries of inky being were still audible. I supposed I was too focused on myself earlier to notice. I decided that was a good enough plan for now.

Alrighty, first step. Legs. There was no denying that I wouldn't be able to do much of anything without them. One missing arm was already annoying enough. The problem was… well, I think it was pretty evident. '_How the hell am I supposed to do that?' _It was a damn big problem. Well, firstly, I needed to actually align the two pieces. And so, with my right arm, I pushed myself over to my legs. After some straining and realigning my torso, I managed to line myself up decently enough.

I remembered there being a toolbox on the edge of the table, one of those small rectangular ones that were littered all over the place. I spotted it to my left. I tried to hook my left arm underneath the handle… it was too thick. If it was cut off at one of the thinner pieces, I would have been able to do it. Oh well, not that I wanted more of my arm missing. Instead, I had to hook my arm over the handle, catching it between my thinner and thicker sections. I dragged it closer, careful not to tip it over. Soon enough I got it close enough where I could open it with my right hand.

Inside lay a variety of wrenches, screwdrivers, nuts, bolts and screws. I wasn't much of a mechanic, but I was decent enough with tools to know how to repair most common devices. I propped myself up on my partial left arm to reach inside with my right. My metal hand didn't seem to interfere with my sense of touch, oddly enough. That was a nice touch. As I was rummaging through the many choices, however, an odd feeling started to form from the base of my spine. When I looked back in confusion, my eyes widened in surprise.

Tendrils of ink protruded from the end of my spine. They stretched forward, and I could feel them moving over the metal and finding holds on the other pieces. They worked around the broken wires, pulling severed ends together and wrapping around the damaged metal. Wires fused and metal mended, all while I watched in astonishment. After what seemed like a few minutes, the ink seemed to melt away, leaving behind a repaired spinal column, almost like it was never damaged. What remained was a thin ring of dark stained metal, similar to a scar, with dried lines of ink pointed towards my legs.

Feeling slowly began to return to my legs. It felt as though whatever ink was stored up inside of me was flowing down into my reattached part. Before I could continue on with my train of thought, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit me. I leaned my head back against the table, closing and covering my eyes with my arm to avoid staring directly into the bright light and to clear my foggy mind. As the ink in my body continued to work on filling and repairing my lower section, my mind decided to take a short break from consciousness. A nap sounded wonderful right about now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think!


	3. Mistakes and A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the young girl finally gets to standing, she meets someone new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! School, video games, other distractions and a partial writers block are just some of the reasons why this chapter took me so long. The last part of this chapter was a bit rushed, so sorry for any mistakes or inconsistencies there. I will rewrite that part when I have the time.

My headache was gone when I woke up. I yawned tiredly, attempting to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I had momentarily forgotten that I wasn’t in my normal body anymore, and a wave of panic overtook me when I felt that my eyes were nowhere near human. “Oh… right.” I slowly relaxed after the previous day’s experience returned to me. I lifted up my left arm to check that my memories held true… yup, made of metal and half of it missing. At least it looked like the bleeding had stopped.

I returned my attention back to my lower half. Everything around and below the scar on my spine was sore. How come my upper body wasn’t like that when I first woke up? Perhaps I was asleep longer than I thought. I tried to swing my legs back and forth now that I had regained feeling in them, slowly due to the soreness. I could feel them responding in turn, but they were still off the edge of the table and out of view. I then attempted to roll my ankles and wiggle my toes, just to make sure everything was there… I couldn’t feel my toes. I suppose this body didn’t have any. I wasn’t all that worried, I could do without them.

“Let’s see if I can sit up yet.” I thought out loud. I reposition my usable arm underneath me. I took a deep breath of anticipation, and pushed myself up. A sharp jab of pain from my healed wound was the price I got for going too fast. I winced, staying in my current position until the pain began to dull. I then continued to push myself up cautiously, finally reaching my goal. I lifted my arm up slowly, testing if my spinal column could still hold up my weight without any support. It was a success. I breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing my hand over my scar to try and ease the soreness. It seemed to help a bit, as though I was actually massaging the area despite the lack of any skin.

Finally, I drew my attention away from my scar and to my legs. They were longer than I expected them to be, since I wasn’t able to see my feet from my previous position. They sort of looked like those large cartoon shoes Bendy always wore, but kinda sorta incomplete. Explains why I couldn’t feel any of my toes. I lifted up one of my legs onto the table, which seemed easier that it should have been. It was likely from the absence of a single joint, and in place of it remained one, two… four joints. Wait, actually, if each one of those larger sections has a joint on each end then… eight joints? Maybe even nine? Anyways, It appeared they couldn’t bend as far as a normal knee could, so when bending my leg, each joint contributed. Speaking of joints, my arm appeared to act in a similar way, but with only… never mind, it had the same number of sections.

I was antsy to stand in two legs again, but I had to be slow, especially if they weren’t fully repaired. I didn’t want to end up collapsing from my own weight. I cautiously scooted closer to the edge of the table, to the point where my feet almost touched the floor. Hesitantly, I supported myself again with my right arm as I reached down, finally hitting solid ground. As I began to put more weight onto my foot, everything seemed like it was fine. Sore, but not any real pain. I set my other foot down, and took away my support from the table. A grin spread across my face as I made a full turn around on my feet.

_ ‘Haha! Yes! Step one complete.’ _ I cheered to no one but myself. I still took it slow, but I began walking around the room. Having so many joints instead of a single solid knee was messing with my ability to walk straight, but I was getting the hang of it quicker than I would have expected. I eventually circled back around to the front of the table, taking another look at my hand.

  


“I guess this body isn’t as bad as I thought… well, except for the missing arm.” I chuckled, trying to brighten up the gloomy atmosphere with a small joke. I finally lifted my head and took a real look around the room. It was the same as before, with the broken ink maker and the wri- wait, hold on. The writing on the wall was gone. I raised an invisible eyebrow up in confusion. “The ink’s gone from under the table, too…” I muttered to myself after taking a kneel to get a better look, finding that the space where my old body should have been was completely empty. I stared at the spot for another while longer before my mind could come up with a possible explanation. “Is that how the ink got in my body…?” I knew the ink could corrupt someone if they came in contact with the stuff for too long, but it was still confusing. I had been very careful to avoid the stuff for as long as I could, but with all the floods and puddles and the decreasing sight of anything able to wipe it off before it took it’s hold… I suppose it had finally gotten to me, even when I was already dead. I had to give it some credit, though. How else would I be alive right now? I tried not to think about the other poor souls who were currently stuck in purgatory due to its properties. Was I now in the same boat…? “No, no. Just… just think about something else for now.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts, focusing back on my current plan.  
  
Continuing on briefly with the second step, I gazed around the room once again to anything else of importance. There were a few other work tables set up in front of the same wall. The closest one had two duck-like heads sitting atop it, one partially painted and the other completely blank. The other had another tool box on top of it, presumably empty, and- “A tape recording?” I must have missed it earlier. I approached the oddly large device and pressed play. The voice of Lacie Benton, as written on the side, rang out.  
  
“The only thing that works around here is my ulcer. Half these people don’t know a wrench from a dang steamroller. Buncha morons is what they are. Spend their day in the warehouse arguin’ over who’s supposed to be doin’ what or playing them silly games. Still, I’m not complainin’. I get most of my time to myself. Suits me just fine. Only thing that bothers me is that mechanical demon in the corner. Bertrum’s been working on it for a month now. Says it’ll walk someday and maybe dance. All it does now is give me the creeps. I swear, when my back’s turned… that thing’s movin’.”  
  
The tape ended with a familiar click. “Well… I suppose said robot is finally able to walk, and- ” I tapped the tips of my feet against the metal floor. “-even dance, despite the fact that I’m terrible at it.” I chuckled to myself. I attempted to do a small twirl, just for the fun of it. However, I was still getting used to all the little quirks and details about this body, and didn’t fully take into account my new weight, or strength for that matter. I stumbled off balance as soon as I pushed off, tripping over my own feet and tumbling to the floor. I landed with a metallic crash on my left side, unable to slow my fall. Pain shot up my upper body as the fall jarred my previous wound and created a new one. I soon came to a rest on my back, holding my side with my arm in an attempt to soothe the ache. Odd as it was, the pain seemed to dull quickly, and I was able to catch my breath soon after. When I lifted my hand to examine the damage dealt, all that was left was a slowly darkening spot, as though some sort of bruise was forming. No dent either. It was still sensitive to the touch, but manageable, and not as bad as it would have been with normal ribs.  
  
I stayed on the ground for another few moments, letting the pain mostly dull before attempting to get up. Using the table as leverage, I carefully returned to a standing position. “Lets not do that again.” I uttered as a mental reminder, brushing off the lingering dust as best I could without irritating my injuries. _ ‘At least I didn’t injure my neck there, that could have gone a lot worse… At least the price I had to pay for my stupidity wasn't all that high.’ _ My thoughts were interrupted when my stomach let out a low growl. “Right, I’m still hungry. I guess some of that nasty bacon soup will have to do.” There were plenty of those cans around here, as searching for the stuff always yielded results quite quickly. Passing through the only exit to the room, the quiet stare of the Lost One caught my attention, as well as the unopened cans of soup lining the shelves to my right.  
  
The inky being tilted its head curiously, earlier cries seeming to have ceased. I tilted my head in return, matching its curiosity and confusion. “Er, uh… hello…?” I tried to start a conversation with the creature. Some of them couldn’t speak, others could. I hoped this one was one of the latter. The Lost One’s glowing orange eyes seemed to widen in surprise.

**“You can speak…?”** Its voice was garbled and had a watery undertone, but I was still able to tell it was a male by a long shot.  
  
“Um, yeah. No duh.” I attempted at a joke. His expression didn’t seem to change and my grin faltered, but it was hard to tell with all of the ink on his face. “Is it really that uncommon to be able to speak…?”  
  
The Lost One shook his head. **“No, no. It’s actually quite common. I was just surprised you could learn to speak so quickly, with the-”** He tried explaining his reaction, motioning to his mouth before suddenly pausing. He seemed to be staring intently at my face before resuming talking. **“- you don’t have a speaker?”**  
  
I was confused by his question, taking a second to realize what he meant. “Oh! Well, not anymore. I was confused by that too.” I chuckled awkwardly, shrugging. “When I woke up in this body, I had a relatively normal jaw.” To prove my answer, I opened my mouth just enough so the Lost One could see my teeth split apart. One of his eyes widened, likely raising an eyebrow.  
  
**“I see. Interesting…”** He paused once again, looking me over. “How long have you been here for?”  
  
“That depends… how long have I been in this body or how long have I been in the studio altogether?”  
  
**“Since you’ve had your most recent body.”**  
  
“Time is wonky down here but I’d say roughly five to eight hours since I first awoke.” I finally answered. The inky being took in the information, while I took his silence as another chance to ask a question. “Do you have a name?”  
  
He returned his gaze to me, nodding. **“The name’s Daniel, one of the lucky few who still remember their original. Might I ask you the same?”**  
  
I nodded. “I guess I’m in the same group as you. Please, call me Amber.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I ask that you leave a review! I need some motivation to keep on writing. Critiques are always welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter is a short one, I promise to make the upcoming chapters longer. I just wanted to start it off with something interesting! What do you think?


End file.
